8.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.6 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.6 |
In the year 2029, the ruling supercomputer Skynet sends an indestructible cyborg back in time to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, the woman who will birth its greatest enemy.
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton, Paul Winfield, Lance HenriksenAction | 100% |
Thriller | 76% |
Sci-Fi | 71% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
French: DTS 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 2.0
Thai: Dolby Digital 2.0
Japanese: DTS 5.1
Japanese available on Japanese menu options only
English SDH, French, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Cantonese, Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Indonesian, Korean, Mandarin (Traditional), Norwegian, Swedish, Thai
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
James Cameron's "The Terminator" (1984) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of MGM Home Entertainment/20th Century Fox UK. The supplemental features on the disc include deleted scenes; short featurette about the film's visual effects and soundtrack; a look at the film's special effects; and a video interview with director James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger. In English, with optional English SDH, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Mandarin (Traditional), Mandarin (Simplified) Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Indonesian (Bahasa), Korean, Norwegian, Swedish, and Thai subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
The classic look
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, James Cameron's The Terminator arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of MGM Home Entertainment/20th Century Fox UK.
This new release of The Terminator, which appears to be exclusive to Region-B territories at the moment, boasts a brand new high-definition transfer that looks mighty impressive. In fact, it is my opinion that it looks as solid as the new high-definition transfer that was used for the recent Triple Play Edition of Paul Verhoeven's Total Recall in the United Kingdom. Detail and especially depth are outstanding. Not only close-ups but also larger panoramic shots convey excellent depth and stability (see screencapture #18). During darker sequences, where light is restricted, clarity is also dramatically improved (see screencapture #4). There are notable adjustments in the film's color-scheme as well - greens and blues are slightly elevated, while reds and browns are toned down; there is a wide range of blacks that are very well balanced as well. I don't have a problem with these new corrections as I don't believe that they alter the film's period look and I certainly do not believe that they destabilize its atmosphere. On the contrary, I think that they are competent, respectful, and in the grand scheme of things beneficial. To be perfectly clear, I should also mention that I do not think that the previous release of The Terminator (see our review here) has the 'correct' look James Cameron intended for the film when he shot it. If anything, it has a very uneven look, as colors and brightness levels have a tendency to fluctuate quite a lot. In other words, there are pretty obvious technical limitations on display there. Lastly, there are no traces of problematic degraning/filtering corrections. Edge-enhancement is also nowhere to be seen. Serious transfer-specific anomalies, such as heavy banding and aliasing, are also missing. All in all, in my opinion this is the very best The Terminator has ever looked, which is why I strongly encourage you to consider picking up a copy of this new release if it happens to be one of your favorite films. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).
There are five standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French DTS 5.1, Portuguese Dolby Digital 2.0, and Thai Dolby Digital 2.0. For the record, MGM Home Entertainment has also provided optional English SDH, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Mandarin (Traditional), Mandarin (Simplified) Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Indonesian (Bahasa), Korean, Norwegian, Swedish, and Thai subtitles for the main feature.
There are massive improvements in the audio department as well. Lower end depth, in particular, is much stronger. Surround activity is also improved, while the dialog is well balanced with Brad Fiedel's now legendary score. All in all, dynamic movement is undoubtedly better. This being said, the original mono track which many of the film's older fans remember should have been included. I personally always prefer to have the original track included on these Blu-ray releases as they could very well be the final and best releases for many beloved older films. There is nothing wrong with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, but why not also include the original mono track and let fans of the film decide which one to use?
Note: All of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray disc are encoded in 480/60i (NTSC). Therefore, they are perfectly playable on all North American Blu-ray machines, include the PS3.
I know that there are different opinions on this new Blu-ray release of James Cameron's The Terminator that are floating around. Here's my opinion - it looks spectacular. I also think that it would have been the film's definitive release had the original mono track been included on it. Still, I can't see how one could be in any way disappointed with it. This being said, I think that it is quite disappointing that there was zero publicity from MGM and Fox before the release hit retail shelves. At the very least review copies should have been secured so that people would know in advance what they were buying. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Remastered
1984
1984
1984
Limited Edition
1984
1984
40th Anniversary Edition | Limited Edition
1984
1984
1991
2009
2003
2008-2009
2015
2012
1990
2007
1987
2014
Special Edition
2008
2009
2003
2012
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2019
1987
2009
Remastered | Director's Cut
1987
2015